thirteen

thirteen

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and three and is a prime number

2. a numeral, 13, XIII, etc., representing this number

3. the amount or quantity that is three more than ten; baker's dozen

Thirteen

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

Although considered an unlucky number by some, thirteen should in fact be thought of as lucky. There are thirteen moons in the year—making it the number of the Moon Goddess; thirteen is the traditional number for a Witches' coven; in Christianity Jesus had twelve disciples, for a total of thirteen; in alchemy it is the number of necromancy—of bringing the dead back to life; a "baker's dozen" includes an extra item, or thirteen; according to Pythagoras, adding one to twelve creates the unlimited number of thirteen, and through this formula miracles may take place; in the system of gematria found in the Kabbalah, thirteen is equated with "love of unity."

Some ascribe the belief that thirteen is unlucky to the fact that there were thirteen who sat down to the Last Supper, but the belief is far older than the beginnings of Christianity. The Romans, for example, associated the number with death and misfortune. Twelve is considered a perfect number (there are twelve hours in the day, twelve in the night, twelve months in the year, twelve signs of the zodiac,

twelve tribes of Israel, etc.); by going beyond that, to thirteen, one leaves the beneficence of the stable number and invites bad luck.

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.